Amami Wakoen Sanatorium

National Sanatorium Amami Wakoen
Geography
Location 1700, Naze Wakomachi Amami, Kagoshima, Japan
Organisation
Care system HealthCare of those who had leprosy
Hospital type National hospital run by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan)
Services
Beds 161(Japanese law on health and medicine in 2008), 70(in-patients)
History
Founded 1943
Links
Website http://www.hosp.go.jp/~amami/gaiyo.html
Lists Hospitals in Japan

Amami Wakōen Sanatorium, or National Sanatorium Amami Wakōen is a sanatorium for leprosy or ex-leprosy patients in Amami-shi, Kagoshima-ken, Japan starting in 1943. In 2008, there were 56 almost healthy residents and their average age was about 80 years.

History

Background

The sanatorium in Amami Oshima was the last one of national sanatoriums starting with the Nagashima Aiseien Sanatorium in 1930. There was considerable resistance within the island to the establishment of a sanatorium.[1]

Amami Wakoen

Number of Patients

The number of in-patients is the sum of patients which changed not only by the newly diagnosed hospitalized and those who died among in-patients, by other factors such as the number of patients who escaped or were discharged, depending on the condition of the times. Recently they were encouraged to be discharged, but the long period of the segregation policy causing leprosy stigma might influence the number of those who went into the society. [3]

YearNumber of in-patients
19438
194436
194539
1950271
1955291
1960325
1965313
1970283
1975245
1980214
1985184
1990154
200376
200856

Bringing up children born to leprosy patients

Outlook for the future

Notes

  1. Japan Leprosy History (1993) Shun-Ichi Yamamoto, University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo
  2. Japan Leprosy History (1993), Shun-Ichi Yamamoto, University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo p162
  3. Hikari Aoguhi Arubeshi(1993) Amami-Wakoen, in Japanese

References

Coordinates: 28°23′06″N 129°31′00″E / 28.38500°N 129.51667°E